A 14 year-old Boy Made Duterte Cry: 'Humagulgol ako doon ng sandali'

In a speech in Davao City Friday (August 11), Duterte recalled how he wailed after a visit to a ward for cancer-stricken children when he was a mayor.

President Rodrigo Duterte may be tough when it comes to dealing with corruption and illegal drugs, but his heart easily melts when it comes to children.

He said he was moved to tears after talking to a bald 14-year-old boy who asked for a prosthetic leg.

“Nung dadaan na ako, hinawakan niya ‘yung pantalon ko. Sabi niya na, ‘Mayor, sa Monday, operahan na ako. Sabi ng doktor, putulin daw ‘yung paa ko. Tapos, at — maghingi sana ako ng pabor.’ Sabi ko, ‘Ano ‘yun, anak?’ Sabi niya, ‘Palitan mo ako ng… Bilihan mo.’— ‘palitan,’ Bisaya. Bisaya, ang ‘palitan’ is you buy. ‘Palitan mo ako ng paa,'” he explained.

After promising to buy the boy a prosthetic leg, Duterte said he headed to a bathroom to cry.

“Dumeretso ako doon, sabi ko mag-ihi ako. Actually, I cried. Wala naman na mayayabang, pagkatapos ganun kaagad ng panyo. Para ‘yung hangin, matutuyo, hindi mahalata. Eh, ‘pag macho-macho eh. Pero talagang umiyak, humagulgol ako doon ng sandali. Buhay na ‘to,” he said.

Another instance when Duterte publicly shed tears was following his victory in the 2016 elections. He went to his parents’ tomb in Davao City and wailed as he sought guidance from them for his new job.